Halo The Mechanized Soul
by james128halo
Summary: When a ship long thought destroyed suddenly makes a reappearance, a team for Spartans are sent to search for survivors and recover the ship but something isn't quite right!


**The Mechanized soul**

 _ **A James gibbons Story**_

As long as a continent and large as an asteroid the Heart of Seraphim was the largest ship ever constructed by the UNSC, when she launched she towered the most impressive ships of the day. The Seraphim was given a main gun capable of destroying a planet the only UNSC ship ever given a weapon that powerful, it was weapon whose designer was so enraged over the loss of his wife and two children that the ship itself almost became hungry for blood. To this day little is known of the Seraphim's AI but according to the most top secret of the Office of Naval intelligence's files it rivalled even the great Cortana for intelligence. On the 21st of September, 3 days after the start of her maiden voyage she simple disappeared without a trace, no one knows why or how, so she was assumed destroyed by the covenant. To this day her loss rivalled Planet Reach as the largest military loss of the human-covenant war. There has however been one sighting of the ship since its disappearance but those who claimed to have seen it were deemed insane and so the allegation was dropped… today marks the 7th anniversary of the ships disappearance!

 **DATE: 22** **nd** **September 2557**

 **TIME: 1800 hours**

 **LOCATION: Long distance sensor array on board the UNSC frigate new phoenix**

Bleep…Bleep…Bleep sounded as a weak signal was picked up by the frigate's long range Sensors'. Commander Jessica Thompson aka Viper was rushed towards the main monitor "computer, enhance signal" she barked. The computer slowly responded as it sifted through all the relevant dater, "I'm sorry Commander, the signal is too far away to enhance, but I may be able to trace it."

"Do it!" she moaned. She always hated talking to Dumb AI's, as they never seemed to work the way they were supposed to. She envied those larger ships like the UNSC infinity, those types of ships were always given the smartest and most intelligent AI's. Frigates like there's were never given high tech AI's just ones that could do about as much as cook hot soup, "but at least there's wasn't as bad as some out there" she thought to herself. The sensor array door slid open and Captain Joseph Cloud rushed into the room his gold visor seamed to shine in the light, "Report Commander" he barked.

"We've picked up a distress signal, it's very weak but we were able to get a match for the signal." She said. "Well then who is it?" he coughed. "Captain, you're not going to believe this but according to my instilments it's the UNSC Seraphim", Captain Cloud froze as if he'd just seen a ghost, "that's impossible she was destroyed!" he responded in a tone that made the hairs on the back of vipers neck stand up. "I don't know what to tell you Sir, that ship were ever it is, is the UNSC Heart of Seraphim" she looked right into Cloud Visor, he nodded and left without a word, leaving viper all by herself.

 **DATE: 13** **th** **October 2557**

 **TIME: 2100 hours**

 **LOCATION: Bridge of the UNSC frigate new phoenix**

Captain cloud looked out though the ships observation windows into the cool deep darkness of space, he sighed and turned back to the monitor, "yes, I understand Sir" he replied to a man in tall Gold armour, he began to speak "I'm glad to hear that son, now my ship will rendezvous with you in two hours, well bring the robot a board." There seemed to be a look of almost desperation in captain clouds eyes, "Remind me why this robot is joining us on this mission Sir." Cloud's commanding officer raised his voice, "I already told you that's classified." The officer hissed. "One more question about TDL's mission and I'll find someone more capable of following orders and I'll personally see you bunked down to privet, do you get me Spartan?" he barked. "I get you sir!" Cloud reluctantly replied.

 **DATE: 23** **th** **December 2557**

 **TIME: 0800 hours**

 **LOCATION: Bridge of the UNSC frigate 'New Phoenix'**

Captain Cloud paced up and down his bridge, he began recording his day log as always "two day till Christmas and I'm the only member of the crew still awake" he sighed "everyone else is in cryo-sleep." "Why don't I just leave the ship in the capable hands of the ships Dumb AI", he almost laughed if you could even call it a laugh, to any person not really paying any real attention you might even think it a couth, he continued "well I don't feel comfortable trusting the bridged of my ship to anything that has got the word dumb in their name. All ships systems are green and we'll be arriving at the coordinates of the distress beacon in four hours, it's time to wake up the crew." He turned and walked of the bridge. If he'd been paying attention he might have noticed a small black something in the corner of his visor. The thing thousands of committers away but it still had shape the stars around it seemed to shimmer in fear at its sight, its dark shape slowly moving towards the New Phoenix as if only pushed along by a cold winter breeze, the dark shape seems to engulf all light sounding it, like a vail concealing the shapes true identity.

When Cloud arrived in the ships cryo-bay he began throwing presages, and slow the crew of Spartans began to reanimate from the deep sleep. He looked over to vipers pod, she looked so elegant, it seemed only yesterday they broke up and he still longed to know what he did wrong. He then looked round for the robot but it was nowhere to be seen cloud turned, and found a large white robot standing behind him, he jumped back in fright, and began gasping for breath from the surprise the robot had given him. "Don't ever do that again, ok" he yelled, still fighting to get his breath back. "Of course Captain." A mechanised voice replied. The robot looked at him for only a few more seconds and the continued its previous task. When cloud looked into the robots eyes, it seem only emptiness was staring back at him, which he thought was very unsettling.

"That was the longest sleep I ever had, accepted for maybe during de-breathing," sandman chuckled and continued, this time trying to rally the rest of the crew. "Am I right guys" he looked around to see who was with him, only to find that ever other person was ignoring him. Sandman frowned "All you guys had no sense of humour." "Hum" Viper replied as she turned to face him and continued "we have more of a sense of humour than you, why do you think we didn't laugh." Viper began to laugh and then preacher join in, sandman turn "that was funny" he muttered. Cloud re-entered the room, Spartans status. "Green Sir" viper replied. "Green Sir" Preacher replied "also green sir, I guess" Sandman replied.

Once all the crew had been reanimated it was time for the mission breathing. "Sandman, you need to pay attention." Cloud snapped. "Of course boss, sorry boss" sandman replied sarcastically. Cloud turned to viper, she nodded. She then turned to sandman and hit him very hard. "Aww, fuck what was that for?" "That's for not paying attention, sandman" viper chuckled and nodded at cloud.

Sandman mumbled, it wasn't quite clear what he was saying but it sounded like he was repeating what viper had just said, in a way a small boy would repeat what their mother had told them. Preacher who had spent the whole time in almost dead silence final spoke, "so what were you saying sir?" he said in a despite attempt to get the conversation back on track. Cloud coughed and continued his speech, "yes, as I was saying our mission is to find the UNSC Heart of Seraphim assess the damage to her and if possible bring her home, any questions?" he said as he turned his head left to right. The Spartans didn't even flinch until sandman broke the silence, "yeah I have one" he replied the sound of chewing gum echoed though his helmet, cloud nodded and so sandman continued, "so what's the robot got to do with that?", "that's a good question", cloud turned to face the robot, its white and yellow colour scheme really hid its small little black eye. It step forward, as if about to speak but instead project a hologram into the air. There within the projected image was the Seraphim. As the image turned cloud noticed large holes in the ship's hull, one's he knew weren't supposed to be there. The robot began to speak.

It spoke in a way that made almost all the Spartans unsettled, cloud had gotten used to the robots voice and so wasn't that effected by the Robots chosen tone. "As you may have noticed this is picture of the UNSC Heart of seraphim, but not one you have seen before, it was taken by a small crew of three, two years ago" It said as it scanned its audience pulling up or relevant dater about each person on its internal view screen. Viper looked up at cloud she could tell they were thinking the same thing, she coughed in the way someone does to say I have a question, the robot looked at her, and she began to ask her question. "Wasn't that about the time that crew claimed to have seen the ship but were declared insane?" the robot stared at her for a minute as it compiled what to say and then spoke. "You are corrected, there was a crew that claimed to have seen the ship but were declared insane." The robot looked away, viper coughed again and asked the second part of her question "so did they take that picture?" she barked. The robot turned back to her and spoke "you are not permitted to know that information." The robot snapped, viper started getting very angry no one told her something was classified, "why?" she snapped. The robot simply turned away, ignored her and left the room without saying anther word. Cloud followed by viper and preacher headed for the bridged. "Well that didn't really answer my question" sandman remarked still chewing is gum.

Viper followed cloud all the way to the bridge, cloud stopped and stood still, he began to speak, "you never let anyone tell you what too do", he turned and laughed "even in basic training." Viper started to laugh too, "your one to talk, mister lone wolf." She smiled. Cloud stopped laughing almost like he only just realized, "what happen to us?" he said sadly. Viper moved closer and sighed, "we got older", she said. There was a faint smile that lasted only a moment and then disappeared again.

The New Phoenix moved ever closer to its objective and as it did the large black shape began to grow even larger. Cloud could begin to make out its shape it was the Seraphim. Her main gun alone towered over there ship as the moved closer they began to see those huge scars in the ships exoskeleton, "it been through hell and back" cloud remarked. The New Phoenix was practically an ant in comparison to the sheer size of Seraphim. Preacher stood the New Phoenix's obviation deck and looked at the ship, it made him feel uneasy he never felt uneasy. "It's big isn't it?" cloud said, a voice came from behind him, "that's what she said" sandman remarked. Viper turned to look at him, "who was that your mummy?" she smirked. Sandman walked forward and stood in-between cloud and viper, "I've seen bigger, yet something about this ship gives me the hebejebes." He turned to cloud, "sir" he said "I'm ready when you are!"

 **DATE: 23** **th** **December 2557**

 **TIME: 1200 hours**

 **LOCATION: airlock of the UNSC frigate 'New Phoenix'**

There was a large thump as the New Phoenix docked with the Seraphim, preacher was the first to step into the airlock and was quickly followed by the rest of the team. Viper moved towards the airlock's control panel, she began to type in versus commands, as she did air and versus over gas's began to pump into the small room once the stopped she turned to cloud, "the airlock's are pressurised sir" she advised. Cloud nodded, "right troopers, we don't know who or what is on the other side of those doors", he turned to sandman and carried on "sandman you with preacher", sandman sighed, "hey sandman if things get rough you can always hold his hand", viper remarked. "Oh ha, ha" he moaned as he followed preacher into the dark. Cloud then turned to viper, "you're with me", she nodded and they moved towards the Seraphim's Bridge.

Sandman was in one of his moods in fact so much so that he almost completely walked pasted TDL-4 without knowing, he only noticed in the end because the robot moved right in front of him causing him to nearly jump out of his suit. "Greetings sandman", the robot said in his usual mechanized tone. "What do you want, you Lowy's piece of junk", sandman barked. The robot paused for a second and then responded, "I need you to follow me," The robot ordered, "I don't take orders from you," sandman snapped, "there clouds orders not mine", the robot turned and sandman reluctantly followed him, Preacher hadn't noticed the conversation between the robot and sandman, so carried on towards the twos original objective.

"So robot, what was it again?" sandman asked, TDL-4 turned and looked at him, "my name is classified" he answered, "but you may call me TDL-4" the robot looked away leaving sandman confused with what TDL-4 actually meant. Thought of one that to his mind suited the robot completely, "total dick liker number 4" he chuckle, the robot seem completely unaware of what he said , sandman smiled and then continued to follow the robot to their new objective.


End file.
